Dietary fish oil preparations containing omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have been reported to have a number of health-inducing characteristics. As asserted in various publications, dietary fish oil preparations are believed to promote more healthful levels of triglyceride, HDL cholesterol, homocysteine, and blood pressure as well as enhance the effectiveness of statin drugs used to treat cholesterol levels. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,082,228, 4,097,602, and 5,698,594; British Patent 2,197,199; and International Patent Publication WO 87/02247.
Fatty acids come in various categories of carbon chain length, meaning the number of carbon atoms in the aliphatic tail that are linked together per molecule. The “aliphatic tail” is composed of a series of carbon atoms, as noted, from the terminal methyl group (i.e., —CH3) to the carboxyl group (—COOH) at the other end of the fatty acid; the carbon of the carboxyl group is not included in the considered number of carbons of the aliphatic chain.
Short chain fatty acids have fewer than six carbon atoms in their aliphatic tails, such as alpha-linolenic acid (“ALA”). Medium chain fatty acids have between six and 12 carbon atoms. And long chain fatty acids have greater than 12 carbons, such as docosahexaenoic acid (“DHA”) and eicosapentaenoic acid (“EPA”).
Fatty acids can be “saturated,” meaning that each carbon atom of the aliphatic tail is linked by C—C single bonds, the lowest energy state of carbon-to-carbon bonds that are most difficult to digest. “Unsaturated” fatty acids, however, include at least one double bond between adjacent carbon atoms of the aliphatic tail, which affords more energy to such bonds and renders the unsaturated fatty acid more readily digested; as suggested by the prefix, “polyunsaturated” fatty acids have multiple double-bonds and are generally known to be more healthful.
Some fatty acids found in nature are “essential” in that humans cannot manufacture them and therefore must ingest them because they are needed for certain cellular functions. Notable among the essential polyunsaturated fatty acids are the omega-3 category and the omega-6 category, so-named for the position of a first double bond after the third carbon or the sixth carbon from the methyl terminal.
Omega-3 fatty acids are believed to be the primary source of the above-mentioned good effects of dietary fish oil preparations. Such omega-3 fatty acids are found naturally in the oil of cold-water fish, such as mackerel, salmon, sardines, anchovies and tuna; omega-3 fatty acids are also found naturally in extracted alpha-linolenic acid oil from plants, such as flaxseed and canola (rapeseed). However, it is the case that omega-6 fatty acids are far more plentiful in the most readily available sources of oil that is part of the human diet, namely vegetable oil extracted from any of various commercially raised oil seeds, e.g., corn, soy, canola, flax. The ratios of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids in some common vegetable oils are: canola 2:1, soybean 7:1, olive 3-13:1, sunflower (no omega-3), flax 1:3, cottonseed (almost no omega-3), peanut (no omega-3), grapeseed oil (almost no omega-3) and corn oil 46:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3.
Currently, western diets generally contain a ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids of more than 15:1. This change in fatty acid consumption toward excessive intakes of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids resulting in a very high omega-6 to omega-3 ratio has been implicated as the source of or a contributor to a variety of diseases, including cardiovascular, cancer, inflammatory, and autoimmune diseases.
There is a growing body of scientific evidence indicating the health benefits of a lower omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio, including improved immune function as well as cardiovascular, bone, and mental health benefits. In particular, studies suggest that an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of less than 6:1 may be associated with health benefits, whereas a ratio of 10:1 or greater may be associated with adverse health effects. Various federal agencies and scientific organizations are placing an increased emphasis on increasing omega-3 fats in the diet.
The present invention attempts to solve the problems caused by an imbalance of healthful fatty acids in the modern diet, as well as others.